Iowa football: Riley McCarron could make worthy challenger to Ted Ginn

Ted Ginn issued a $10,000 40-yard dash challenge to any worthy competitor. Could former Iowa football player Riley McCarron compete?

In an interview with Adam Lefkoe of Bleacher Report’s Lefkoe Show, former first-round draft pick and Ohio State Buckeye Ted Ginn Jr said he is willing to race anyone for $10,000. There is a former Iowa football player who could actually beat the speedster, and his name is Riley McCarron.

Coming out of Ohio State, Ginn ran a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash time, which was a big reason for him getting selected 9th overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2007 NFL Draft.

While his career has been a disappointment given his draft position and his NFL production, there has been no question about his speed and his ability to use it. For his career, he has scored seven touchdowns on kick and punt returns and boasts receiving touchdowns of 88, 74, and 64 yards; a testament to his straight-line speed.

Typically, most guys begin to lose some speed once they reach that 30-yeard old plateau, but not Ginn (at least according to Ginn). He is ready to go right here right now at the ripe age of 34.

Ginn had this to say about racing on the Lefkoe Show.

"I’m always down to do it. I’ve been running from light pole to light pole my whole life."

This sparked a 40-yard dash contest that has gone viral and includes quite a few notable names like New Orlean’s Alvin Kamara, New York’s Robbie Anderson, and Minnesota’s Trae Waynes.

While he hasn’t declared yet, and at this point likely isn’t going to, former Iowa football player Riley McCarron would be a worthy opponent for this group. Currently a free agent after spending time with the New England Patriots, McCarron ran a 4.36 40-yard dash time at the Iowa football program’s Pro Day back in 2017.

That breakaway speed didn’t get displayed much in the Iowa football team’s non-existent vertical attack, but there was one occasion in a 2016 game against Nebraska that saw him turn on the burners.

Considering that Pro Day performance and that game were just two years ago, there is no reason to think he couldn’t do it again. His biggest challenger in a race would not actually be Ted Ginn Jr but likely Minnesota’s Trae Waynes, who ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 2015.

In a game of milliseconds, anything can happen though, and it sure would be a lot of fun to see an Iowa football player claim the crown.